Opinion | Messi, Mayhem And A Familiar Indian Habit: Scapegoating The Organiser, Sparing The System |
Lionel Messi’s Kolkata leg of the ‘G.O.A.T India Tour 2025’ ended in disappointment for his fans and embarrassment for the organisers in particular and the country in general on December 13.
Fans were unable to get a glimpse of the Argentine football icon due to him being surrounded by Indian icons like Shah Rukh Khan and Sourav Ganguly.
The restless spectators, who had paid through their noses for the event, got restive and vandalised the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) Stadium in Salt Lake. What should have been a two-hour-long event came to an abrupt and sad end barely within 20 minutes.
When what ought to have been a sideshow becomes the main event, the audience starts fuming and sulking.
Indian events – be it music concerts or sports or felicitation ceremonies – are hijacked by VIPs and celebrities, who not only bask in reflected glory with photo-ops and TV footage but also enjoy the limelight away from their own chosen fields to reinforce the image that........